dispatches from the outpost, poetry, children's literature, and beyond, witnessed by david elzey

the elzey test for multiculturalism in YA literature

Recently, I read another author’s blog post about The Bechdel Test being applied to YA literature. I discussed the test, and my take on it, three years ago (twice, actually) when I first was thinking about its applications in my own writing. I was trying to make a conscious effort to not make the mistakes I saw repeatedly in middle grade and young adult fiction and was positing that, as writers, we perhaps had the greater burden of doing for children, in books, what Hollywood can’t bother to do in their movies.

A little less recently, but recently, another author brought up the dearth of African American boys in children’s literature, which naturally sparked an interesting discussion on his blog. At least in many books aimed at non-adult readers there’s a mix of both genders, but the lack of a multicultural diversity is appalling. Now, like the old Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial (“Hey, you’ve got diversity in my litmus test!” “You’ve got a litmus test in my diversity!”) I’m just going to throw it all out there and suggest that we need to have something similar to the Bechdel Test for multiculturalism in YA literature.

And, yeah, I named it after myself. Obviously I’m open to (better?) suggestions.

First, let me say, I did discover a Racial Bechdel Test out there, which follows along the same lines as the original (and why keeping Bechdel in the name made some sense) but for me the “test” doesn’t go far enough. Let’s take a look for a moment:

There must be more than one character of color
At least two characters of color must have a conversation
The conversation has to be about something other than a white person

That’s a pretty low bar, if you ask me. First, according to this test, the character of color doesn’t have to be a main character. That right there is open to stories where the main character has multicultural friends, and the friends can talk to one another, but then they don’t have to be as integrated (pardon the pun) into the plot as the story isn’t about them. Hello, Tonto! Hello Sidekicks-of-Color! A white main character with a rainbow coalition just ends up looking like a story with multiculturalism grafted into place. So we have out first real tenant of The Elzey Test, which is:

The main character must not be a white person, by default or design.

Sounds kinda harsh laid out like that, but you know, it has to be done. Better to take the medicine and move on. Also, by making the main character a person of color you pretty much guarantee they’ll also have name. Nameless women are an oft-cited limitation of The Bechdel Test, so I’m trying to avoid that here.

The fact that white is a default setting – characters aren’t described as white, but non-white characters are always defined against that default – is a very subtle problem that draws attention to itself once underscored. You might not even realize a character is white until they meet up with another character who isn’t, but it’s usually the non-white characters that get delineated. You know, just so you can see that they’re the ones who are “different” from the hero. Describe them all, I say, and let’s make it the white characters who are different from the main characters for a while.

Now let’s look at the conversation aspect. Two characters of color having a conversation, I don’t know how important that is compared with the simple fact that there should be multiple characters of color of non-token status within the story. Again, the point isn’t to build a model UN but to tell stories that include the various races and ethnicities of the readership. Yes, there are monochromatic schools and neighborhoods with all-black and all-white kids, but a book is a window into a world where kids can see that characters of ALL colors have issues and commonalities, and we should be telling more of those stories in a non-divisive way.

But there has to be more than conversation, it has to be natural to be the character and the story, integral without calling attention to itself or the character’s race. This sounds a little more convoluted than it needs to, all I’m really saying is

Characters should sound realistic when speaking to one another without becoming stereotypical.

That is, not every conversation is a cultural clash between races. There’s some great territory to be mined in having characters misunderstanding each other, but there’s a lot more value in finding the things they share. And I don’t mean appropriating or mimicing a subculture. There are billions of stories to be told out there, and aside from those that center around race, the majority of those stories are about people who happen to look different from one another. So for our final point here

Conversations should be about anything but racial differences.

Which is not to say that dialog should be neutral or “whitewashed” but that those differences are undertones, or if necessary contextual, but not the topic. Kids from poor neighborhoods will talk differently than kids from gated communities, but let’s get away from that being what the story is about. Let’s see some poor white kids and some middle class minorities and just have them deal with the reality of their narrative situations, not what makes them different by appearance.

To writers who might be afraid that they cannot write “outside the lines” in terms of their own experience, or that swapping out white characters for people of color is a band-aid to the issue, let me suggest the following exercise. Take a beloved classic in children’s literature, swap out the white characters, then ask yourself: does this make a significant change to the story? I’m not suggesting that all one needs to do is write a story and swap out the white characters, I’m saying that in a lot of cases there really is no need for the “white default” that is prevalent in YA literature, so let’s change it. Or challenge it at the very least.

Oh, and while we’re correcting these defaults, let’s keep in mind that upwards of 10% of these characters are gay, too. Not to put any sort of quota on things, or that the fact that they may be gay AND of color automatically changes the narrative significantly, but let’s throw that possibility into the mix.

So, let’s see what this looks like all put together.

The main character must not be a white person, by default or design.Characters should sound realistic when speaking to one another without becoming stereotypical.Conversations should be about anything but racial differences.

Okay, now let’s fine tune this. I’d be willing to concede that the second and third points should go without saying, but there really has to be more to correcting the issue of color in YA than simply changing out the main character.

Right?

If we’re living in a post-racial America we should start providing literature for teens that reflects that world.

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5 Responses

I love it that you’ve brought up this discussion. I have a feeling it’s a conversation that will remain relevant for quite a while.

I have mixed feelings about having to require the main character be non-white, but I suppose what you mean by it is, if multiculturalism is to be one of the primary characteristics of the book, then the main character should be non-white? (Or part non-white, anyway. ;) For example, my WIP has main characters who are basically white, with (I’m sorry to say) only ethnic side characters, but the story is still about identity and culture. I guess I would hesitate to call it multicultural, but of course, “white” culture is no more monolithic than “non-white.” I don’t know what the answer is there. I sure don’t have one at this moment.

Your #2 and #3 criteria, though, are dead on. Of course, in my mind there’s an unspoken 2nd half to #3, which is, “unless it’s an important part of the plot.” (I’m thinking about The Latte Rebellion here.) Gratuitous conversations about racial differences, though, have no business being in there.

certainly i don’t expect the entire YA world to suddenly swing all the way to the other side of the spectrum. could you imagine one day looking at the slate of new releases coming out and wondering “where are all the white main characters?”

and there are always going to be stories about identity and culture, and where the story REQUIRES a white main character, so be it. but so, so many stories do not have these issues and these are places where we could use more representation. in much the same way that (i think) we can finally have gay characters without the story being about their being gay (though realistically occasionally having those issues pop up but not dominate the plot) can’t we finally have stories where the characters just happen to not be white without that detail being integral?

i have a WIP (or a pre-WIP actually, as it’s still in the planning stages) and for years i’ve had an image of the main character in my mind. that main character is white, but he has a sold collection of non-white friends. when i was looking at the story it turned out that one of the main character’s sidekicks actually had a better voice and perspective. he also happens to be hispanic. absolutely NOTHING changed about the plot, but the minute that character stepped up into a starring role it all fell into place… and his ethnicity didn’t play into the decision at all.

put another way, what i’m saying is we don’t need black vampire stories or asian paranormal romance stories or white comedies, we need these genres and stories to have multicultural main characters without it being about what they look like.

I like the Bechdel Test because it is so simple.- it might seem like a low bar, but once you go through the original list of movies that the cartoon went through, you see how hard it was to even meet those low criterion.

Of course, when you set this bar for books – YA books – it becomes harder… especially if you reset your first rule as everyone has to be nonwhite, with all sidekicks being white – at least that is what it sounds like you’re saying, with “by default or design?” That will never fly… simply because so many writers I know are so much more comfortable working in the default, for whatever reasons (some reasons like, “I am White, how can I write anything else?). I have written stories with white main characters with diverse “sidekick” characters for a reason; sometimes I’m writing something that requires this (or, like in Sarah’s case, she’s writing a story about Wales. She’s not going to suddenly come up with African-descents in Wales; there are vanishingly few of them; it’s practically a monoculture, but by your rules, the main character would have to be non-Welsh… and how is that workable or balanced?). I think maybe what we’re looking for is a rule #1 that says, “Be Deliberate In Your Character Choices.”

Perhaps this is all it would take, it just a little extra thought on how people our novel-landscapes without it being grossly obvious/U.N. rainbow-casting about it. Then, we could afford to set the bar low with simple rules, and just THINK before we write…

i would love to agree with your idea that writer’s “Be Deliberate In Your Character Choices” except for the fact that i think without having a reason to think outside the default, the only deliberate reason an author might choose to make a main character a person of color was to discuss racial differences. in other words, why make them non-white if color isn’t the issue.

unlike the bechdel test, which was using a set of criteria to grade existing media and perhaps draw attention to a problem with the goal of correcting the problem, i’m actually looking for an active course-correction. naturally, when looking to simplify things subtleties get lost, and i guess i wasn’t clear about the fact that not all stories can simply have the race (or gender, or sexual orientation) of the main character swapped out. historical fiction, fiction of specific place and time, these things naturally would require characters to be consistent with their setting.

but here’s the thing; i work in retail, and there is a longstanding common notice that businesses have the right to refuse service, for any reason… but only to a point. you can keep out people for inappropriate dress (restaurants do this, as does disneyland if you have an obscene t-shirt on), you can refuse service if people are hostil or unreasonable, but you cannot simply refuse a customer simply because you are being “deliberate in your choice” of clientele. it is far to easy for authors to be let authors off the hook by saying “i deliberately chose for them to be white, because that’s how I envisioned them.”